NT measurement & Down's Syndrome

Hi I'm 27 year old pregnant with my first child.I had my ultrasound last week in my 11th week of pregnancy.It showed a nuchal measurement of 3mm which the doctor said is quite above the normal range & has a 2-2.5% risk of down's syndrome & scared me a lot that I'm being forced to take the amnio on March 5th.My OB/Gy also said the same thing and also discussed abortion if I had an abnormal baby.This scared me even more that I lost all hope & crying all the time.She also discouraged me from doing the blood tests & went straight to amnio.Now 3 weeks seem to be too long & I'm very much stressed right now.Can anybody clarify my doubt.Thanks.

[Molliana]

Are you in the UK?
In the UK it is normal to have the measurements taken at 12 weeks.  Mine is due at 12w5d.  Since you have to wait 3 weeks for an amnio, will they do another measurement in the meantime just to double check.  I would think at 11 weeks, a measurement of 3mm is above normal but I think I would like to repeat the test at a little over 12 weeks just to be sure.  
Also here in the UK, well at my hospital, they do the blood tests at the same time as the ultrasound so both results come back at the same time and both are used to determine the risk.  She is discouraging you from having the tests but does that mean that she wont do them?

[tiredbuthappy]

noone can force you to do an amnio. if you don't want it, then refuse it. Also, if your baby has downs, you do not have to abort. Many people with downs lead happy, productive lives. It is not a death sentence. In addition, 2-2.5% is not terrible, statistically. That being said, I personally would do the amnio for 3 reasons- 1) for peace of mind  2) if the baby had downs, i would want to be prepared and 3) there are certain mutations that are not compatible with life. If, God forbid, the baby had one of these conditions and there was a 100% chance the baby wouldn't survive outside the womb, then i would consider my options

[thickm]

i personally will never do an amino again! my bloodwork showed an increase risk for spinal bifida 1 out of 160....and i did the amnio (i would love my baby regardless of the results) anyways 5 hours after my amnio i started leaking amniotic fluid and almost lost my baby! by the grace of god i stopped leaking and baby is doing good.  my friend had an increase of nt and bloodwork (1 out of 26 chance) she did cvs testing and said she cramped so bad afterwards she thought she would miscarry but everything ended up being okay! baby doesnt have ds.....its all up to you love but know there always risk

[30something13]

I would nto do the amnio!!! It is too risky to you and the baby! Besides there is nothing they can do for the baby and downs is not that bad. I am sure you love the baby no latter what and the stress by gettting tests then them asking you to sign a paper that you don't want to abort is just to stressful!

[PrettyKitty1]

I wouldn't do it. I had my Down Syndrome screening done last week and am waiting on the results. IF, it comes back abnormal, I will refuse the amnio. Think about it, it is just a test and it isn't 100% accurate. There is a chance that you will miscarriage if you get the amnio done. Many women get abnormal test results and then come to find out those were false positives. If you love your baby regardless, then don't get it done. I would research on this subject if I were you. I understand it is a concern. That's what those tests do to us. They make us paranoid. Talk to your doctor once again. It is your right to refuse the test if you don't want to get it done. Instead, ask yourself these questions:

1. Will knowing the results change my mind about my baby?
2. Will knowing the results make me want to terminate my pregnancy?
3. What if it is all nothing but a false positive? What if the baby is fine?

You are young and probably healthy. I would not do it.